T01

The house is single storey, with two separate volumes containing, respectively, an open plan living/dining/kitchen and a ‘sleeping wing’ of bedroom accommodation. The two forms are linked by a low level flat roofed entrance/utility space roofed with a grass mix of local species. This division critically allows each wing to relate in size to the typical black house footprint of 6-7m wide by 9-11m long. This question of the scale of the house in the landscape is the most fundamental issue for the project we feel.

The roof forms acknowledge the vernacular with a hipped form and a flattened ridge incorporating rooflights. Roofs will be black zinc and walls white rendered. The inverted eaves detail of the Hebridean black house, where the walls project beyond the roof, is also reflected in our design.

The house is located on possibly the best site we’ve worked on, on the north coast of Tiree with view over Coll, Rum, Eigg and Barra.